


No Walls Can Hold Us

by Justcallmesassenach25



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Bratva, Bratva Oliver Queen, Broody Oliver Queen, Eventual Smut, Protective Oliver, Sexual Tension, Sleeping in the same bed, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:34:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23419822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justcallmesassenach25/pseuds/Justcallmesassenach25
Summary: When Felicity discovers her father has been working for the Bratva and that he has alzheimers she is distraught but determined to protect him. And that has left her with only one option, to marry the Kaptain of the Bratva, Oliver Queen.Neither of them are looking to fall in love, content to live separate lives and keep their hearts protected. But over time they will find that no amount of walls around their hearts can stop them from falling for each other.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 32
Kudos: 163





	1. The Fairytale Romance of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak

When she first came to Oliver Queen, offering her services in exchange for her father’s freedom, she hoped that would be enough. She was brilliant and would be a huge asset to them she knew. But then came the discussion of loyalty. No one was satisfied that she wouldn’t run to the feds and rat them all out. That’s when a voice piped up at the back of the room.

“She could marry the kaptain” the voice suggested, causing Felicity to reel back in shock.

“What, no, that’s crazy. And what would he even want with me? I mean look at him” she gestured up and down his body “he could have anyone.”

Every eye in the room turned to the Kaptain, awaiting his response.

“The idea has merit, it would ensure privacy and loyalty. But it's up to you Felicity, I won’t force you to marry me” the other men in the room didn’t look entirely relieved but a tiny amount of pressure lifted from Felicity’s throat. 

“Um, wow, that is, a lot. I mean I came here to offer my services but I didn’t think it would be those services. Not that I’m offering, god that sounded bad. I’m gonna shut up know.” She nodded her head and sat quietly trying to sort through all the tangled and panicked thoughts in her head.

“You’re right, and you don’t need to make a decision now. Take some time and let me know what you decide.” Oliver spoke to her, looking like he didn’t much care which way she answered. He just stood there in his fine suit, an imposing wall of muscle. She looked down to the skirt of her dress playing with the flower pattern and again wondering how she anyone could think that they could make a good pair. 

\---------------

This was not how Felicity ever thought she would find a husband. Not that she had spent so long pinning for a man, often more wrapped up in her work and career to find time for that sort of thing. But she had at the very least hoped she would marry a man she loved, one she was excited to spend her life with. 

Instead she had just agreed to be the wife of a man she hardly knew, well she knew one thing, this was the only way to save her father. Wow, Felicity Smoak, meager IT tech was going to be a mob wife? What the hell was she doing? What was her life anymore? The last 24 hours had been a total whirlwind, starting with her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and ending with her agreeing to marry Oliver Queen, kaptain of the Bratva. 

The bratva didn’t care about her father’s diagnosis, he had signed a contract and promised his services and the Bratva were determined to collect no matter what. So despite her fury at discovering what her father had truly been up to all these years, she offered up herself in his place. He had taught her everything he knew, and even he would say she was better than him when it came to tech. She thought of his proud smile the first time she beat him at coding, and that was why, despite everything, she was here, doing this for him. 

This time as she headed inside the Queen Manor, she held her head high, completely determined. This might not be the ideal way to find a husband but, what were the chances she would find someone anyway? With her work schedule she barely ever even dated. So what was she really giving up? And plus, this was how she would save her father, the man who raised her and did everything for her, it was the least she could do to pay him back.

After being directed to Oliver’s office, she found the door ajar and peaked in to find Oliver standing by the fireplace, staring into the fire with a pained look on his face. She hadn’t been around the man much, but this was by far the most vulnerable she had seen him, his mask of ambivalence down in private. Maybe there was more to this man, she sure hoped so since she was about to be tied to him for the rest of her life. 

Feeling awkward spying on him she pushed the door further open, alerting him to her arrival. 

He nodded as she entered, “Ms. Smoak.”

“Yep, thats me, I’m back and better than ever. Well not really, I’m actually really nervous and have no idea what’s going to happen but that's not a catchy saying,” she paused looking up at him and giving an awkward half smile while he just stood completely still as he watched her, only the smallest edge of his mouth upticked. “So anyway, um, I’ve come to give you an answer.”

He gestured to a chair and he sat down at his desk, looking at her, seeming to wait for her to speak first.

“Well I guess I may as well get on with it right? Its not like we have lots of other things to discuss. Unless you’re interested in data storage methods in which case I have a lot to say,” she was stalling, she knew that but this was hard. Really fucking hard, she felt like she was handing her whole life over to a stranger, and, she kind of was. 

“But back to the matter at hand, I’m in. I mean I’ll do it. I’ll marry you if that’s what it takes to save my father and prove my loyalty.” She looked up from her hands then and looked at Oliver’s face and saw that same neutral expression as he nodded his head.

“Okay, then it’s settled. We need to get started on this right away. We have a lot of work we need you on but we can’t let you touch it till after the wedding, so we will have to be married right away.”

Felicity reeled at this information, not expecting everything to move so fast.

“Okay, how soon are we talking?” hoping she might have a little time before her life was completely upended.

“Two weeks,” and with that, neither of their lives would ever be the same again.


	2. Queen of the Rings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is all unbeta'd and written late at night but I figured it was better to get it out there than leave it on my computer forever. We get a little more background on Oliver and see a bit more of how Oliver and Felicity interact.
> 
> Also there is a switch in perspective in this chapter so watch out for that, it should be fairly obvious.

As Oliver looked over the case, he thought of the woman he was shopping for. He barely knew anything about her, had only met with her in person 3 times. And yet here he was, browsing engagement rings and trying to imagine her wearing it. Because he was going to give her a ring, and she was going to become his wife. 

Oliver kept losing himself in memories, thinking of the last time he had shopped for an engagement ring. That time he had been excited. Nervous too, but that had more to do with his girlfriend’s very refined taste and her inability to not speak her mind. But those were also things he loved about her. He had met Laurel Lance after he came back to Starling City after 5 years in Russia. They had met at a club, they started dancing together, then went outside and talked for hours. They exchanged numbers and though Oliver was hesitant after everything he’d been through, he decided to give it a chance. And it had been great, until he found out that she was also the new Assistant District Attorney. Pretty much the last person a Kaptain in the Bratva should be with. But he was too far in and he let his emotions get the better of his reason. 

By the time he worked up the nerve to tell her, she was too far gone too, loving him too much to walk away, but furious at him for putting her in that position. It took a lot of time and work, but they did their best to work through it, to find a way to stay together. And so he had proposed, feeling like he had actually found someone he could feel at ease with, even after everything. He loved her and he knew she loved him. He had lost a lot and just wanted to hold on to the small amount of good he had found with her. The world they built together was an escape from the rest of the world, who he had to be in the rest of the world. She didn’t need him to be tough, she wanted his weakness, and the relief of letting someone else carry that burden even for a moment was more than he ever thought he’d have. 

So he’d been happy, for a little while. Because happiness never lasted long, any time he got comfortable, life would come and remind him that he didn’t get to have everything. And so, one week before their wedding, Laurel had been killed, and it was all his fault. 

After that, he never thought he would buy someone a ring again. He had closed off that possibility, unwilling to put someone in harm’s way. Unwilling to put his heart in harm’s way. It would be better for everyone for him to stay single and never get too attached. So that’s what he did, until now. Because now he was staring at a ring thinking about how good it would look on Felicity Smoak, and hoping that she would like it. 

Felicity Smoak was still an unknown to him, but he felt like he knew a few important things. For one, she was incredibly loyal and brave, giving up everything for her father. Not many people would do that, in fact, Oliver had seen many people sell out their own families when confronted by the Bratva. But here she was, volunteering. And it’s not like she was stupid, he knew she was a genius, perhaps even more capable of her father; and it was clear she knew what she was getting herself into. He had watched her determination to do whatever she could for her father, one look at her face told him she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He figured there were worse kinds of people to be married to, and at least this would appease his fellow Kaptains, show that he was settling in. 

As Oliver strolled to the foyer, his fingers toyed with the velvet box in his pocket, spinning it around in his hand. When he turned the corner he paused and looked his fiance up and down while her head was turned, looking at one of the paintings. She was dressed in a form fitting dress that made him appreciate her every curve and her hair was down in bouncy waves, it was undeniable that she was a beautiful woman. But that wasn’t the reason he was marrying her. 

As he walked into the foyer she turned and gave him a bright smile that didn’t reach her eyes. He could hardly blame her, this was a rather awkward situation, but they had to move forward. That’s why he had invited her over for dinner tonight, to discuss details and try to get to know each other a little. He didn’t intend on romancing her, but he hoped at least they could get along with each other, it would certainly make things more pleasant.

“Hi, glad you could come,” Oliver said.

“Thank you for inviting me, I appreciate the invitation. I’ve never eaten here before, I hear the chef’s great. Actually I’ve never heard anything about the chef. I don’t know why I said that. But I’m sure the chef’s great. Nothing but the best for Oliver Queen…” Oliver put his hand on Felicity’s shoulder and she abruptly stopped talking and looked up at him. He looked into her eyes, seeing how scared and nervous she was. 

“Hey, listen, it’s okay. There’s no reason to panic. In fact, that’s part of why I wanted us to have dinner, so we can get a chance to go over the details. If we both know what’s happening, then there’s less reason to worry,” He nodded slowly and she began nodding with him, holding eye contact. Beginning to get uncomfortable, he removed his gaze from hers and began leading them to the dining room. 

Once they sat down and started eating, they both relaxed a little, happy to have something to occupy their hands, and their mouths. They made small talk and exchanged some basic facts about each other, where they were born, Starling and Las Vegas, where she went to school, MIT, but it took until the desert course till they began the real discussion. 

“So, our upcoming nuptials,” blurted Felicity as the waiter’s placed the creme brulee in front of her. 

“Yes, there is much to discuss,” Oliver nodded as he spoke.

“I’m not happy about this whole thing. I’ll still do it, but I’m not going to be happy about it. So if you’re looking for someone to play a smiling doting wife, you’ve got the wrong girl,” she almost continued but Oliver cut her off. 

“I’m sorry to hear you’re so aggrieved by the arrangement. I can’t say it is my ideal but I’m hoping we can make the best of it. And no, I don’t expect a doting wife,” Oliver spoke as he looked at her.

“Don’t forget smiling,” Felicity piped in.

“Right,” Oliver’s lip curled in a small smile as he responded.

\--------------------------------

“Alright then, with that out of the way, what should we talk about next?” she asked, feeling a little better after her statement and Oliver’s agreement.  
“Well, I don’t have many requests, you can set your own schedule, have your life, go out with friends. But I do ask that we sleep together,” Oliver spoke calmly, like he didn’t just ask her to sleep with him.

“Wow, I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself buddy. I mean yes, technically we are about to get married, but I don’t know you, I’m not just going to have sex with you because you tell me to!” Felicity begins raising her voice as she speaks, becoming more heated and indignant as she goes.

A look of horror crosses Oliver’s face and he puts his hand up and begins shaking his head.

“Oh my god no, I didn’t mean it like that. I should have chosen my words more carefully, I apologize,” he looked sincere so she cooled her temper for the moment and let him speak. “I meant sleep together in the literal sense. I would like us to share a bed at night. I have no expectation of having sex with you and I promise that I will never force the issue.”

Well, that she could deal with, although part of her felt silly for jumping to conclusions. But, he really shouldn’t have said it like that. What the hell was she supposed to think? 

“Well good, that’s a relief. And I suppose sleeping in the same bed isn’t so much to ask, I guess I can do that. I mean it’s not like I’m gonna get a lot of other human intimacy for the rest of my life,” she raised her hands at the end as if to say ‘what are you gonna do’ and shrugged. She wasn’t really dealing with this very well but humor was a go to coping mechanism. 

“Actually, that reminds me of another thing I want to discuss,” she looked at Oliver expectantly, waiting for another bomb to drop, a new thing to derail her life. But instead he said the last words she expected to hear. “I know you don’t love me, I know you don’t want this marriage, but you have to do it. To prove your loyalty, to save your father. But that doesn’t mean we have to stay married forever. Sure a few years at least, but this doesn’t have to be the rest of your life. You shouldn’t be trapped with me forever,” Oliver spoke the last words a little more quietly than the rest and she looked him over carefully, still shocked by what he was saying. 

“Wow, well that changes things. A few years,I can do that. Oh my god I can’t believe this,” she sat trying to absorb what this meant. Her life wasn’t over. It was still changed forever and batshit crazy, but it wasn’t forever, just a few years. “How long exactly would we have to be married?” she asked, already trying to map it out in her head.

“It might depend, but probably 3 or 4 years,” she nodded as she absorbed the information. She was still scared shitless, but the whole thing became a little less soul crushing. She still had a chance to have a life, to have a real husband. Boy was she gonna have a hard time explaining her first marriage.

As the night went on, they discussed more arrangements, the wedding, a small ceremony given the short notice. She would move into the mansion the day of the wedding, his movers would handle everything. Apparently this was her life now. Or at least for the next 3 to 4 years. She felt like a prisoner counting down the days, but instead of prison bars it was the Queen mansion and the Russian mafia keeping her in place.

The night eventually wrapped up and Oliver walked her back towards the foyer so she could go home. Tonight he wore a dark navy suit, silver cufflinks in place, with a dress shirt and tie. He always looked immaculate, at least in the few times she’d seen him. Not a hair out of place. She imagined he liked to have control over everything, including his appearance. And she couldn’t deny he filled out the suit well, his strong muscles looking like they might bust through the arms of his jacket. She had no intention of sleeping with him but at least she would have something nice to look at for a few years, things could be worse. 

As they reached the door Oliver stopped her and held out a black velvet box to her.

“I picked this up the other day. It’s for you,” she looked at the box nervously and slowly grabbed the box from his outstretched hand and opened it. Inside she found a huge diamond, with a bunch of smaller ones around it. She had never seen a diamond this big up close before. The only place she’d seena ring like this was when she looked through a People magazine at the doctor’s office. 

“This is, a lot,” she finally glanced up at Oliver to see his neutral face,hands in his pocket, as though he had just handed her a glass of water and not a very expensive diamond ring. 

“If you don’t like it I can exchange it for another,” Oliver said as he began to reach his hand towards where she held the box.

“I didn’t say that,” Felicity said as she pulled the box from his grasp. “It’s just a lot to take in, I’ve never been engaged before,” Felicity noticed Oliver take in a deep breath as she said the last part, but decided not to push. She looked down at the ring again, removing it from the box and turning it back and forth, watching the refractions of light. “It’s actually really beautiful, I gotta say you have pretty good taste in jewelry,” Felicity looked up to see him watching her, examining her reaction. 

“I’m glad you like it. I was hoping you would,” he moved closer until he stood right in front of her. Reaching to grab the ring from her, he held her left hand. “May I?” he asked, looking up into her eyes. She slowly nodded, and Oliver slid the ring onto her finger, a perfect fit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact:
> 
> Did you know that in England a fancy dress party is a costume party?
> 
> This isn't relevant to the story but I just like it.


	3. The Big Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is here and both our protagonists are thinking through their decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are perspective shifts in this chapter again, but it should be obvious.

The day of the wedding was finally here. The day she had been dreading. When her life of independence ended, she had to move into the Queen Mansion and begin working for the Bratva. It was pretty much the last place she ever thought she’d end up. After graduating at the top of her class from MIT, she had dreams of creating new technology, doing good for the world, maybe even having her own company one day. Now, she was pretty much doing the opposite, helping the Bratva with whatever types of things a mafia needed, she doubted it included helping her fellow man. 

She had arrived early at the Queen Manor to get ready that day, and had a team of people working on her from head to toe. Butterflies filled her stomach, she was surrounded by strangers on her wedding day. And to be frank, even her soon-to-be husband was pretty much still a stranger at this point. She was beginning to regret not letting her mom get ready with her, but she just thought it would be even harder to get through with her mother’s fretting. There was a lot her mom didn’t know, like her father’s and now her involvement with the Bratva, she just thought it had been a whirlwind romance, and Felicity didn’t have it in her to fake the excitement any more than she had to.

Just then came a knock at the door, but before she could respond a young petite brunette woman walked through the door with a small box in one hand. She was gorgeous in a silky silver dress, and looked at home in it.

“Hi, I’m Thea,” she said as she walked closer to Felicity. When Felicity didn’t respond she continued, “Oliver’s sister,” Felicity nodded.

“Hi yes, it’s nice to meet you. I would say Oliver has told me all about you but then that would be a lie and I don’t think that the right foot to start on with your future sister-in-law. Wow, I can’t believe I just said that, I’m still not used to this whole marriage idea. But I guess I better because it’s happening in T minus 30 minutes,” Felicity struggled to stop herself from rambling more but Thea just smiled at her.

“Look, I know that nothing about this whole arrangement is normal, and it’s understandable that you’re still a little freaked out. I’ve lived my whole life in this world, but you’ve only had two weeks to get used to the idea. Anyway, that’s why I brought this,” Thea motioned to the box she held, “to try and do one normal thing.” She now held the box in both hands as though ready to open it, “I know this wedding is unconventional, I mean you didn't even get a bachelorette party,” Thea gave her a wink as she said this last part. “But I thought there might be one tradition we could still follow,” she finally opened the box to reveal a diamond necklace. “I don’t have all of them, but I figured you should at least have something borrowed, a piece from our collection,” Felicity looked down at the jewelry in stunned silence, not only was it beautiful, but Felicity would also bet it cost more than every possession she had ever owned combined.

“Thank you, but it’s too much, I think I would just worry about losing it all night,” Felicity shook her head in refusal.

“Nonsense, you’re going to be a Queen now, and Queen’s only have the best,” Thea smiled at her and lifted the necklace out of the box. “Come on I want to see how it looks on,” Thea motioned for her to turn around and Felicity got the sense she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. After the necklace was on she turned around to see Thea with a huge grin on her face, “it’s perfect, and you look absolutely beautiful. I think Ollie might just fall in love with you despite himself,” the last words made Felicity uncomfortable under Thea’s gaze but Felicity smiled anyway.

“Thank you Thea, this was really kind of you. I hope we’ll get a chance to know each other a little better after all this wedding stuff is over.”

“Of course, you’re family now,” said Thea, and for the first time Felicity wasn’t quite as scared of becoming a Queen. 

\------------------

Oliver stood under the awning of roses, not really looking at his surroundings. He just needed to get through this day, the charade of it all, and then he could go back to his life. Well except for the fact that he would have a wife now. Part of him still regretted that he wasn’t standing here for the woman he loved, the woman he had in fact planned to spend the rest of his life with. He had wanted to marry her, but since that dream had died, he figured it didn’t really matter who he married, because he never planned to love her. And then Felicity Smoak fell into his lap, a good strategic move, he figured she was as good as anyone. It was simply a coincidence that she was beautiful, but if anything that just helped to keep anyone from asking why he would marry her. Including his mother, who was satisfied that he was finally going to be married but had questioned why he finally settled on Felicity. She had tried to set him up after Laurel, insisted she’d found the perfect match time and again. Told him it was time to move on. But they all felt like paler imitations of Laurel, and he wasn’t interested in dragging some girl into his world, not when he couldn’t guarantee her protection. But Felicity was dragged into the Bratva business by her father, she was already there, he figured he may as well help her and help himself at the same time. And it’s not like they were in love, in fact that was a large part of the appeal. She would not only be happy without love and intimacy, she didn’t expect it at all, she was as uninterested in it as he was. So he figured they made the perfect match, and that’s why he was standing looking at the door to the ballroom, waiting for Felicity Smoak to walk through the doors. 

Finally they opened and his eyes slowly roamed up her figure, following the white lace and chiffon up to her fitted bodice which tightly hugged her curves. Then he saw the necklace, his great grandmothers, no doubt the work of Thea. Finally he looked at her face, soft yet striking, a nervous smile on her face. He made a conscious effort to give her a little smile in an attempt to help her down the aisle. He’d never admit it but he was nervous as well, and as soon as she saw his smile, hers got a little more genuine and she began walking towards him. He had to admit that she was beautiful, that in another life, one where he still went out to clubs to pick up women, he certainly would have tried to hit on her. Although that wasn’t saying much, he had hit on a lot of women in his life. But he wasn’t interested in that anymore. He wasn’t interested in getting involved, in getting invested, in having another thing ripped away from him. And that’s why she was perfect for him. Well, not for him, for his situation, because under no circumstances was he going to fall for Felicity Smoak, nope, this was all business.

The ceremony went on for a while, the two of them standing across from each other, switching between looking at each other and averting their eyes. Well it was mostly Felicity averting her eyes, clearly uncomfortable hearing the words and looking into his eyes at the same time. Eventually though, they reached the end, the exchanged rings, were pronounced as husband and wife, and told to kiss. 

He had kind of forgotten about this part. Well not so much that there was a kiss at the end of the ceremony, but that he would have to be affectionate in public, at least to a degree. There would be a certain amount of intimacy expected. Sure he knew that he and Felicity had agreed this would be a platonic relationship, but everyone else didn’t know that, only a few close advisors and Thea. He definitely should have thought about it, he planned through the arrangement, he thought he had gone over everything important, but he somehow forgot to fully consider this. Maybe it had just been too long since he’d been in a relationship?

Well the time was now, and he looked to Felicity’s eyes, raising an eyebrow to try and ask if it was ok. She took a breath and then gave a small nod of her head. He bent down slowly and placed a gentle kiss, feeling her soft lips beneath his. He didn’t allow himself to settle into her and quickly pulled back, the kiss over before it started and saw her open her eyes and stare back at him.

\------------

Damn it!! That was a nice kiss. For the moment he kissed her she forgot everything else, all her anxiety, where she was, and all the reasons she had absolutely no interest in Oliver Queen! It took her a moment after he pulled away, but when she opened her eyes she looked up to see that same neutral look on his face, clearly not feeling whatever it was she had just felt. And now she was married to him, this towering man in front of her with an unreadable face, and it only reinforced how much she did not want to kiss this man. Sure he was handsome, that was like an objective fact, and he had a particularly attractive face. But that wasn’t important, what mattered was who he was and that was a member of the Bratva who didn’t seem to express emotions. Basically the last thing she wanted.

She simply needed to stick to the plan. Get through these next few years, stay emotionally uninvolved and leave this behind her. She had hoped it wouldn’t be too hard, what with the minimal conversation she had had with Oliver thus far. Even when they were trying to “get to know each other” he barely revealed any personal details about him. So she tried her best to do the same, although she couldn't help it sometimes when things slipped out when she didn’t mean to. But she wasn’t used to being so guarded all the time. She’d have to learn and do better. 

The rest of the night passed like a blur, probably in large part due to the quantity of champagne and wine she had consumed, but also because it was a night full of talking to strangers and awkwardly trying to figure out how to stand next to her husband. She and Oliver danced a few times, she was surprised by how graceful he was, and it was hard to dispute that his large warm hands had felt nice against her body. But that’s all it was, just physical, and she had no intention of taking it any further. Oliver Queen was the last person she wanted to give her heart.

Eventually the festivities wound down and she made her way back to the room where she had gotten ready earlier that day, Oliver’s room, her new room. She hadn’t had a chance to settle in yet and make it feel like hers, this being the first night she would sleep in her new house. After she got inside she stripped the wedding dress off, relieved to have the heavy garment off of her and stumbled to the bathroom to get ready. 

Someone had left a white babydoll hanging for her inside. Someone who clearly hadn’t gotten the memo about her and Oliver’s arrangement. She went back out to the room but she couldn’t find any of her stuff, it obviously hadn’t arrived yet. So she went back to the bathroom, resigned to the babydoll. Plus she was too drunk and tired to really care. So she got ready for bed and slipped on the lingerie, noticing its delicate lace and perfect fit. She thought for a moment about what it would be like to want to wear this lingerie, to be excited for her wedding night, but that wasn’t her life. So, she headed back out to the bedroom, stopping abruptly when she saw the bed. 

Oliver was sitting in bed, partially under the covers, and reading something on his tablet. His brow was slightly furrowed in concentration, but she was pretty sure this was the most relaxed she had ever seen him. But that isn’t what had stopped her in her tracks, no what had her speechless was the fact that Oliver was sitting there, in bed, with absolutely no shirt on. Felicity had been able to tell he was muscular, no suit could hide that. But she hadn’t been prepared by just how well defined those muscles were, including the obvious six pack. She briefly wondered if when he stood up he had those little muscles went from his abdomen all the way down to her groin. No, that wasn’t important, she was just drunk and she wasn’t thinking clearly. She had no interest in this man and just needed to remind herself that. Maybe drinking large quantities of alcohol around this man might not be the best idea. It made her forget herself. 

After recovering from the sight of him she began walking forward towards the bed, causing Oliver to look up at her. He looked surprised to see her as well, holding still for quite a few moments and seeming to take in her outfit, or lack thereof. 

“Welp, I guess it’s time for bed. Time for night night. The big sleep. No, wait, that's death and we’re not dying. Just sleeping. Just two people sharing a bed for a good night’s sleep. Yep,” Felicity trailed off, cursing herself for not being able to talk like a normal person. 

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of having sex with you. And the bed is large, we should have plenty of room,” his first statement hurt a little but she was going to push that to the back of her mind, but she had to agree with the second. This bed was huge, a king for sure, and she was glad to see they wouldn’t have to be in close contact. She liked having her own space and she definitely hated being crowded. This bed was so big that she was sure they’d both have room to spread out. 

“Alrighty then, guess it's time for bed then,” Felicity pulled back the covers and got in, happy to not feel so exposed. She turned her bedside lamp out and laid her head on the pillow, “Goodnight Oliver,” she said softly, not looking over her shoulder to see him.

“Goodnight Felicity,” he responded quietly, turning out his light and laying his head on his pillow.


	4. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver have their first day as husband and wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty much posting as I write this so I can't guarantee a schedule but I am really excited about this story and will post as soon as I can.

Felicity woke up warm and comfortable. Since when had her bed gotten so comfortable? Slowly she opened her eyes, only to see Oliver’s face mere inches away from her own. She let out a small yelp and Oliver opened his eyes. Felicity moved back from him and began speaking.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m just not used to waking up in bed with someone. I mean, I have obviously, I’m not a virgin, but it’s been a while you know?” Felicity was starting to lose total control of the words coming out of her mouth. “Anyway, that was probably a little more than you needed to know,” she finished speaking and began to sit up, eager to run away from this interaction. Oliver had been silent the whole time she had been babbling on, just watching her dig herself into her own hole. “I’m gonna go,” she pointed her thumb over her shoulder, “to the bathroom,” and with that she scurried away to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Finally she was alone and able to take a few breaths. She looked at herself in the mirror, remembering the silky negligee she had on and becoming embarrassed all over again. She had acted so weird. Oliver clearly wasn’t at all bothered by any of this, but she wasn’t doing quite as well. It was weird sharing a bed with a stranger, being that near him, plus the added factor of him being half-naked, she was a little shaken up. But, she reminded herself, this was just the first night and she was sure to get more comfortable in time. And so far Oliver had been a perfect gentleman, he hadn’t made her do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. But he was still so hard to read, he seemed so unaffected by all this, by the fact that he too was married to a stranger. Really, as far as she could tell, he kept pretty much all his emotions under lock, except for when she saw him give Thea a hug, she saw warmth in his eyes and his smile had looked genuine. 

She turned to the shower and started the hot water, ready to let it wash over her and start the day. She knew she would finally start working on Bratva business now, the work her father had been doing, now that she was married to Oliver and trusted to know the inner workings. She was anxious over what she would be doing, but a small part of her was intrigued, knowing it would certainly be different than her day job as an IT Tech. 

After Felicity got ready she headed down for breakfast and found Oliver dressed and eating. He must have gotten ready in another room because he had been gone when she got out of the shower. On the table sat a full breakfast spread and Felicity wondered who exactly was supposed to eat all of it, it looked like enough to feed an army. She grabbed some eggs and toast and sat down at the table opposite Oliver, who was working his way through his own loaded up plate. She briefly thought he must eat a lot to keep all those muscles she had seen the night before, but as quickly as she thought it, she pushed it to the back of her mind. 

Finally the awkwardness got to be too much and she spoke.

“So…” just as she spoke Oliver opened his mouth and began speaking as well.

“If..” they both paused, not sure how to proceed. Oliver seemed to recover more quickly, “I was thinking, once you’re done with breakfast, that I might show you what you’ll be working on,” Oliver said in a tone that told her that was definitely what she’d be doing today. She had sold her soul, waiting a couple more days wouldn’t change that so she may as well start today. She nodded her head to demonstrate her agreement.

“Sure, it’s not like I’ve got a lot of plans for the day, and it's not like we’re the average newlyweds trying to jump each other's bones at every opportunity,” at that his eyebrow ticked up, but he sat there quietly.

“Yes, I suppose we are a bit unusual. But that does remind me, tonight we will be having dinner with my family. That includes my mother, who you’re aware isn’t privee to the truth of our arrangement. We will have to behave accordingly,” Oliver looks right at her as he says this.

“What exactly does that mean? I mean I sort of know, but like what are the rules. Are we talking full PDA because I don’t think I’m comfortable with that,” Felicity may be stuck in this marriage but she was damned if she would give up all of her agency. 

“Well, what would you be comfortable with?” Oliver asked her with a sincerity that surprised her. Felicity thought to what she would be comfortable. First her brain just screamed “none of this” but she knew that wasn’t productive so she tried to focus on what she could control.

“I suppose hand holding is ok,” Oliver nodded in agreement. “Um, I guess it would be weird if that was all so I guess also putting our arms around each other, like hugs or one arm around the other’s back, um, lets see what else?” Felicity’s mind tried to go through normal things couples did and tried to think of anything that she would be comfortable with.

“And kissing?” Oliver asked, with that same unreadable expression across his face. Her face however, she was certain showed how startled and flustered she was by this question. Oliver must have noticed because he blessedly continued talking, ending her awkward sputtering. “For example, at the wedding we had to for the ceremony. Just quick, nothing intimate. Would you be ok with that in the future?” his tone seemed to soften a bit as he spoke.  
“I guess so. And it probably would look weird if a married couple never kissed, especially newlyweds. God this whole thing is so weird, I’m talking to my brand new husband about whether I want to kiss him. Which I don’t. I mean nothing personal, it’s not like you're unattractive. Not that I’ve been thinking about it but I mean, you’ve looked in the mirror,” her hands gestured in the air at him. Lips upticked in a small smile, oh god she was making a fool of herself. She had to stop now. “I’m going to stop talking now. Before I say something so embarrassing I can never show my face again,” then muttered under her breath “not that that would be the worst thing.” When she looked up again, Oliver’s small smile was gone. She held her back straighter and head higher. “Yes I would be okay with those sorts of small and quick kisses, but that’s all,” Oliver nodded his head in agreement, 

By now that had both finished their breakfast and Oliver stood from the table and walked to the door, gesturing for her to follow. Felicity stood and followed him as he led her down a familiar corridor, seeming to lead back to his study, however, when they reached the door Oliver moved right past it and straight to a room a few doors down. He opened the door and revealed a warm room, filled with expensive looking leather furniture. On the other hand sat two monitors on a desk, and Felicity immediately tried to make out the computer model. 

Oliver walked into the room and over to the desk.

“This will be where you work. I believe we should have everything you need, but do let me know if that’s not the case,” Oliver finished speaking and looked directly at her.

“I mean the room looks nice but until I get a chance to dive in and know what I’m actually working on, I really can’t say,” Felicity finished her sentence and began inching closer to the desk. She was anxious to get her hands on her new tech and to distract herself with work. Oliver motioned for her to sit at the desk and Felicity quickly complied. As she began exploring the computer Oliver began to speak.

“From what I’ve been told we have been having issues with our data and finding sufficient storage that is also completely secure. There should be enough there to get you started and let me know if you need anything,” Felicity began nodding as he finished speaking.

“Ok, sounds good,” Felicity responded distractedly, already diving into her work. Oliver began to walk towards the door and then turned back to face her.

“Also, you will only discuss Bratva business with me, no one else. Is that clear?” Felicity looked at him confused, his eyes boring into her with their intensity. 

“Crystal,” she responded.

______________  
Oliver had spent the day dealing with Bratva business, on the phone, in meetings, doing paperwork. There really was a lot more paperwork involved in the Russian mafia than he thought there would be. Now it was finally five o’clock, time to take a break and see how Felicity was doing on her first day. He had done his research, he knew she was capable, but it was hard not to be weary whenever he had someone new working for him. Oliver wasn’t a man who trusted easily. But she was his wife now, she was part of the Bratva, and he hoped that would be enough to guarantee her loyalty.

Oliver left his office and walked over to hers. He knocked on the door, but when he heard no response, he opened the door. Felicity was sitting hunched over the computer, her gaze intently set on the screen in front of her. She was typing away furiously, and he noticed a small wrinkle between her brow as she squinted slightly. Finally he coughed to get her attention and her head jerked up and her wide eyes looked straight into his. 

“Wow, hi, how long have you been standing there?” Felicity asked.

“Not long. I just came to see how everything went today. Also it’s five o’clock and dinner is at six, I wanted to give you time to get ready,” Oliver spoke in an even tone.

“It’s five already. Whew, time really flies huh? I think I got through a good amount of work though. You were right, you’re data was a mess. I optimized your storage and made it far more secure, but there’s probably some additional hardware you’re going to need if you’re really serious about security. And like, you’re the Bratva so I’m guessing that’s pretty important to you. Anyhow, once I did that I decided to take a peek at the manor security and let me tell you that was a mess. So I made some updates and cleared some bugs, eliminated some of the blindspots created by the software, but I still have a bit of work to do,” Felicity finished speaking, somehow not winded, and looked up at him proudly. 

He had known she was smart, he figured she would be an asset, but he had not been expecting this. He thought that the work he had given her might take a week and she had finished it in less than a day. Who was this woman he was married to? He supposed he stood there staring at her too long because she began speaking again, this time her tone more nervous.

“I’m sorry did I overstep. I mean I’m not totally sorry because you really needed those improvements and you’re welcome, but, did I do something I wasn’t supposed to. I know you just told me to work on the one thing, but after I finished there was still so much time left in the day so I figured, why not do some extra credit? You are looking at a star student,” she finished the last part with a tentative smile.

“No, you didn’t overstep. I just wasn’t expecting you to do so much. Thank you for all of your hard work today,” Oliver wasn’t easily impressed, but he had to admit that his wife was doing just that. “If you make a list of what you need I’ll be sure to get it for you,” Oliver spoke.  
“Ok great. Hey I think for the first day things went pretty well dontcha think?” Felicity finished speaking, turning her head to the side and giving him a smile that lit up her entire face. Despite himself, Oliver found himself returning a smile with a small one of his own. “I’ll just finish up here then and see you at dinner, I’m pretty sure I remember where the dining room is.”

“I’ll meet you at the door to our room and we’ll walk down together. Wouldn’t want you getting lost,” said Oliver as he made his way to the door.

“God that sounds weird, our room. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. This is still all so weird to me. I don’t know about you but this is my first fake marriage,” Felicity rattled on, not seeming to care that he was moving to leave the room.

“It is my first time too. I know you don’t want to be here, but people who end up here rarely do,” he gestured around himself as if to indicate the manor. “I do hope we’re able to make the best of the hand we were dealt,” Oliver couldn’t help the edge of melancholy that crept into his voice, but tried to cover it. He looked intently into Felicity’s eyes and hoped he communicated sincerity. Finally she broke their gaze and Oliver headed out the door. 

_____________

Felicity heard a knock and hurried to the door, opening it to find Oliver. Looking up at him, she got momentarily lost looking at his admittedly gorgeous face. The chiseled lines of his face could be spellbinding. She may not be interested in him but she wasn’t blind. 

“Hello Felicity,” Oliver spoke in an even tone.

“Hi, ready for dinner. I realized I got so absorbed in my work that I forgot to eat lunch today so I am really looking forward to some food,” Oliver gave her a small nod and she could have sworn there was a twinkle in his eye, but she also thought she might just be seeing things, because she doubted this big Bratva man was twinkling because of her.

As they entered the dining they found Thea, Moira Queen, and Moira’s husband Walter already sitting at the table. She had met them all briefly yesterday, at the wedding. She wasn’t really looking forward to having dinner with a bunch of people she didn’t know but at least there would be food. And hopefully wine. Oliver sat at the head of the table and indicated that she sit in the seat closest to his.   
“Well isn’t this nice. A family dinner, and the addition of Ms. Smoak,” Moira said, the displeasure clear in her voice when saying Felicity’s name. Moira Queen was a woman who knew how to say everything with only her tone. 

“I couldn’t agree more, how nice it is to have Felicity here,” Oliver spoke up, a forced politeness in his voice and placed his hand over Felicity’s on the table. The action took Felicity by surprise, but then she recalled their previous PDA conversation and realized she was supposed to be comfortable with this. Especially around Oliver’s mother, who clearly wasn’t her biggest fan and whom Oliver currently seemed to be defending her from. Felicity moved her hand to clasp Oliver’s, it felt nice, warm, the skin calloused, and the grip of his large hand firm. He looked over at her and then down at their hands, then turned back to his mother. 

“I’m glad she’s here too. And I think she’ll do Ollie some good,” she looked directly at Oliver as she spoke next, “get you to stop being such a sourpuss,” she then frowned, exaggerating her lip for comedic effect. She then gave him a teasing smile. Oliver looked at her then, attempting to look stern, but the curve at the edge of his mouth and the affection in his eyes gave him away. 

“I am not a sourpuss,” said Oliver in a very serious tone.

“Oh you absolutely are, I bet even Felicity agrees,” Thea responded. They looked to Felicity then and she momentarily panicked. She didn’t know this man, they shouldn’t ask her, but she was supposed to be his wife, so duh she should have something to say.

“I mean, I haven’t known Oliver that long, but, he’s definitely not a sunshine and rainbows kind of guy. There might be some sourpuss tendencies,” Felicity finally said, and it wasn’t even a lie. Felicity looked to Oliver and saw amusement in his eyes and he looked like he was holding back a smile.

“See, even your wife agrees with me,” Thea pointed to Felicity while looking at Oliver. “I knew I liked you,” Thea said to Felicity, and Felicity warmed at the genuine look in Thea’s eyes.

The rest of the dinner went by uneventfully, and Felicity was glad when it was over. She really enjoyed Thea and Walter seemed nice, but she felt like she had to hold her breath when she was around Moira Queen. It didn’t help that she was also supposed to be pretending to be in love with her son, whom she was very much not in love with.


End file.
